A Call for Community & Dialogue.
Since October 2023, our campus community has grappled with significant challenges stemming from the war in Gaza. These events have deeply impacted many members of our community. In response to the need for healing, understanding, and connection during this difficult time, President Stritikus established the Presidential Advisory Group on Community and Dialogue (PAGCD) to chart a constructive path forward.
After convening throughout the fall semester, the PAGCD—composed of students, faculty and staff—was charged with three primary goals 1) developing forums for dialogue and exchange of ideas, 2) educational outreach and, 3) community engagement.
In support of the first initiative, the PAGCD has made several recommendations to create spaces for meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas. As a starting point, we will introduce Listening Impact Circle sessions, guided by a Restorative Practices framework. The first sessions will focus on Israel-Palestine, offering a space for community members to engage thoughtfully and respectfully.
Listening Circle #1: February 12, 2025
What is a Listening Impact Circle?
A Listening Impact Circle is just one of several community development modalities within the Restorative Practices framework. Restorative Practices has expanded the traditional term of Restorative Justice to not only focus on repairing harm and wrongdoing, but to also find ways to proactively build community.
Specific to Listening Impact Circles, this community development approach is centered on helping people process events or issues that pose a challenge to their communities or have impacted people in a significant way. They are voluntary, community-oriented forums aimed at providing an equitable opportunity for all attendees to have a voice. Listening circles can be used in a variety of settings, including communities, workplaces, schools, organizations, neighborhoods, colleges, universities, and within families.They have roots in indigenous cultures, specifically from New Zealand’s Māori people, and are backed by research in interdisciplinary studies. Listening Impact Circles are not focused on problem solving, dialogue, or debating. They are meant for creating a space for expressing, listening, processing, and community building.
The goal of this Listening Impact Circle event is to create space for shared emotional connection about the impact stemming from the war in Gaza. We aim to support individuals and help communities who have been harmed to explore the collective experience together. This Listening Impact Circle event will provide a space for people to connect, share their experiences, and look to the future.
Listening Impact Circles will be facilitated by external facilitators from Emerging Leadership Consultants (ELC), LLC. (More information about ELC, LLC can be found at emerginglc.com). Listening Impact Circles will start as a large group and are broken up into smaller groups for more intimate dialogue and conversation. Small groups will be no larger than 10 people including our facilitators. During the large and small circle experience, participants will be asked questions to explore an issue on a deeper level. If you participate, you will come together with people you may or may not know. When participating in a Listening Impact Circle, you have the responsibility to listen and will have an opportunity to be heard.
In order to help you prepare for this experience and decide if you would like to attend, we want to ask you to reflect on the following questions.
- Am I prepared to listen deeply to those I may not agree with?
- Am I prepared to share my experience and perspective, even if others disagree with me?
- Am I prepared to sit in emotional discomfort?
- Do I have an apprehension about attending, and if so, can I share it with someone?
- Will I be able to address the apprehension and still participate?
- Do I have support if I am unable to continue with the process?
Adapted from the International Institute for Restorative Practices Listening Circles Scripts 2020